Diploma in Food Operations Management

Purpose

The purpose of the qualification is to develop graduates who can demonstrate focused knowledge and skills in the food service environment. Learners will develop depth and specialisation of knowledge, together with practical skills through work integrated learning, to enable graduates to apply their learning in the workplace.

This qualification will equip learners with a variety of operational competencies used in the Food Industry. The qualification is food industry orientated and features a blend of food sciences, food operations and management, designed to educate the food operations industry of tomorrow. The successful leaner will have gained interpersonal, financial, IT, event management and, analytical and problem solving skills.

Learners achieving this qualification will demonstrate knowledge of, and application of culinary and nutritional principles as well as the ability to apply the principles of occupational health, safety and security in food service enterprises to maintain a healthy and safe environment for both clients and staff. In addition, the learner will demonstrate a sound foundation to assume entry-level managerial positions.

Rationale

The lack of adequate food operations and business management skills in South Africa plays an important role in the high failure rate in the food industry. This qualification will provide a set of very important and essential skills to support national efforts to equip prospective managers of food operations and entrepreneurs to increase organisational success.

The qualification focuses on the food operations, financial, economic and business management and skills of the industry. It includes important food operations related modules to ensure a balanced perspective of modern corporate business to inform the environment within which the graduates must operate. This, in turn, will ensure a well-rounded qualification.

This qualification will help address the national skills shortage and graduates will be equipped to take up positions as:

• Food operations managers (Variety of enterprises, including private and public organisations).
• Industrial food service managers in catering companies.
• Convention Centre managers.
• Entrepreneurs.

In addition, it provides graduates of the qualification an opportunity to further specialise in food or other entrepreneurial businesses.

The South African food industry shows continued growth with a clear demand for well-qualified managers. The qualification matches the skills and competencies of the job profile of entry level managers in the private and entrepreneurial food industry. Leaders in the field of the South African Food Operations industry, as well as the Food Service Managers Association of South Africa have been involved in the design and adaptation of the qualification.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

This qualification may be achieved in part through the recognition of relevant prior learning which includes formal, informal and non-formal learning and through prior experience as a practitioner in the field of food operations. Providers are required to develop a structured means for the assessment of individual learners against the exit level outcomes of the qualification on a case-by-case basis and assessment is done by means of Integrated Assessment strategies as mentioned above. Such procedures, and the assessment of individual cases, are subject to moderation by independent-assessors. The learner will be thoroughly briefed on the mechanism to be used and support and guidance will be provided. The necessary evidence as required by the exit level outcomes, and presented by the learner, should meet the following principles: currency of evidence, sufficiency of evidence, validity of evidence and authenticity of evidence. If the learner is able to demonstrate competence in the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes implicit in this qualification then the appropriate credits will be assigned to the learner.

Entry Requirements

• National Senior Certificate (NSC) granting access to Diploma studies and with appropriate subjects and levels of achievement.
• National Certificate Vocational (NCV) granting access to Diploma studies and with appropriate subjects and levels of achievement.

This qualification comprises compulsory modules at Levels 5 and 6 totalling 360 Credits.

Compulsory modules Level 5 139 Credits

• Communication for Academic purposes, 10 Credits.
• Computer Literacy, 10 Credits.
• Life Skills, 2 Credits.
• Information Literacy, 2 Credits.
• Food Operations I (Theory), 5 Credits.
• Food Operations I (Practical), 10 Credits.
• Food Operations Management I, 10 Credits
• Food Operations Financial Management I, 15 Credits.
• Culinary Skills I (Theory), 10 Credits.
• Culinary Skills I (Practical), 15 Credits.
• Nutrition I, 10 Credits.
• Food Operations Microbiology I, 10 Credits.
• Food Operations Supply Chain Management I, 10 Credits.
• Banqueting I, 10 Credits.
• Food Operations Industrial Psychology I, 10 Credits.

Compulsory modules Level 6, 221 Credits

• Food Operations II (Theory), 5 Credits.
• Food Operations II (Practical), 10 Credits.
• Food Operations Management II, 10 Credits.
• Food Operations Financial Management II, 15 Credits.
• Culinary Skills II (Theory), 5 Credits.
• Culinary Skills II (Practical), 15 Credits.
• Nutrition II, 10 Credits.
• WIL in Food Operations Management II, 30 Credits.
• Food Operations III, 15 Credits.
• Food Operations Financial Management III, 15 Credits.
• Food Operations Management III, 15 Credits.
• Banqueting II, 16 Credits.
• WIL in Food Operations Management III, 60 Credits.

1. Perform preparation of a range of foods for conventional and convenience outlets and demonstrate an understanding of the operations and maintenance of such operations of a food production unit.
2. Plan and prepare balanced, trend setting advanced recipes and menus using a wide range of food commodities and equipment.
3. Plan and prepare menu items effectively and economically for a range of food outlets to meet both customer and economic expectations.
4. Apply the principles of occupational health, safety and security in food service enterprises including food microbiology and risk assessment principles, to maintain a healthy and safe environment for both clients and staff.
5. Identify the sources of nutrients for the human body and state their functions.
6. Analyse nutritional trends and recommend adjustments to existing food service practices.
7. Explain the impact of socio-cultural perceptions on the health status of the South African population.
8. Adjust and prepare recipes to meet a range of therapeutic and dietary requirements.
9. Use a range of business management skills to contribute to the overall management of the food operations unit.
10. Apply a range of financial principles to support appropriate management decisions for a sustainable and profitable food operations enterprise.
11. Plan, manage and implement catering of functions that meet the expectations of the target market.
12. Use various modes of accessing and communicating information, including information technology in order to manage the food service enterprise in a changing business environment.
13. Present and communicate complex information reliably and coherently using appropriate academic and professional or occupational conventions, formats and technologies for a given context.

The following Associated Assessment Criteria will be applied in an integrated manner across the Exit Level Outcomes

• Maintain the operational practices in relation to food and beverage services in the food operations industry.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of conventions associated with service excellence which includes, but is not limited to consumer behaviour and customer satisfaction.
• Apply beverage serving principles.
• Apply the principles of occupational health; safety and security in food service enterprises to maintain a healthy and safe environment for both clients and staff.
• Apply food microbiology principles.
• Apply risk assessment principles.
• Apply principles of First aid and the HACCP system.
• State the sources of nutrients for the human body and identify and classify their functions for the human body.
• Analyse nutritional trends and recommend adjustments in existing food service practices.
• Evaluate and explain the impact of socio-cultural perceptions on the health status of the South African population.
• Adjust and prepare recipes to meet a range of therapeutic requirements.
• Apply fundamental management principles and concepts to the food operations workplace.
• Apply Human Resource Management principles.
• Apply strategic management principles.
• Apply entrepreneurial and small business management principles.
• Apply basic Supply Chain Management principle.
• Apply a range of financial principles to support appropriate management decisions for a sustainable and profitable food operations enterprise.
• Plan, manage and implement the catering for a variety of functions that meet the expectations of the target market.
• Apply End User computing applications various scenarios in the food service enterprise.
• Update food service information systems to benefit the food service enterprise.
• Communicate information reliably and coherently using appropriate academic and professional or occupational conventions.
• Present information using proper formats and technologies for a given context.

Integrated Assessment

The overall assessment strategy of the Department of Hospitality Management is that of integrated assessment which is evident in the approach to the assessment of applied competence. Applied competence is understood as the learners' ability to integrate concepts, ideas and actions in authentic, real-life contexts; the assessment of which is broken down to the assessment of foundational, practical and reflexive competence where:

• Foundational competence is the demonstrated understanding of what the learner does and why(s)he does it.
• Practical competence is the demonstrated ability to perform tasks and actions in authentic contexts.
• Reflexive competence is the demonstrated ability to integrate learner's performances with the understanding so that they are able to adapt to changed circumstances and explain the reason behind these adaptations.

Integrated Assessment further implies a planned combination of formative and summative assessment strategies with varying ratios of foundational, practical and reflexive competencies depending on the level (year) of study. Formative assessment is used to support the learning, and is non-judgmental and focused on providing constructive feedback or criticism to the learner, takes place during the learning process and informs planning of future learning activities. Formative assessment strategies are continuous and aimed at giving learners feedback on their progress in the achievement of learning outcomes as well as to integrate theoretical and practical competence. Such strategies include assignments, discussions, case studies, tests and tutoring. Some of the criteria may be assessed through observation of the learners during classes, practical and tutoring sessions.

Summative Assessment is mainly concerned with summing up the learning process and therefore usually takes place at the end of the relevant learning process. Summative assessment strategies are aimed at judgment of the learning in relation to the Exit Level Outcomes of the qualification. Such strategies include examinationinations, reports, projects or equivalent such as a portfolio of evidence which is representative of a selection of the outcomes practiced and assessed in the formative stage.